Ramadan Adds New Hurdle for Germany and Algeria Ahead of World Cup Clash

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: June 28, 2014

commentComment        

The 2014 World Cup has presented a monumental challenge for all players competing in the heat and humidity of the Brazilian summer. With many matches scheduled in the rainforest, conditions have at times been brutal, especially for those athletes who have grown accustomed to plying their trade in cooler climates during the winter months.

The task is about to get much more difficult for many of the World Cup's Muslim athletes, as the holy month of Ramadan begins at sundown on Saturday. According to Islamic tradition, all Muslims are required to abstain from all food, drink, smoking, sex and any vulgar language or behavior during daylight. It is a physical, mental and spiritual demand for all who observe, even those who have low physical demands at the time. For athletes, especially those playing at the highest level, the task is hugely amplified.

All World Cup games during Ramadan kick-off at either 1 p.m. or 5 p.m., with the exception of the final, scheduled for 4 p.m. Depending on location and date, sunset in the remaining host city venues is set to be anywhere between 5:13 p.m. (in Recife, via TimeAndDate.com) and 5:41 p.m. (in Porto Allegre), meaning that those in strict observance in the later games will be permitted to rehydrate themselves not long after kick-off. Those who intend to strictly observe and are scheduled for the 1 p.m. kick-off may be faced with a challenge beyond human ability.

Monday will bring the significance of Ramadan to the fore as Germany and Algeria compete in the round of 16. According to the CIA World Factbook, 99 percent of Algerians are Sunni Muslims, a statistic that is reflected in the composition of their World Cup squad. And although Germany is not a predominantly Islamic country, the likes of Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Shkodran Mustafi are Muslim.

According to AFP (h/t France24), the majority of Algeria's players have decided to fast in spite of the potential health risks pos...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!